MELBOURE and SYDNEY – 04 March 2015 – Toll Group, the Asia Pacific region’s leading provider of transport and logistics, and ESS Support Services Worldwide (ESS) have announced the strengthening of their long-standing relationship by unveiling a fleet of custom designed linehaul refrigerated trailers.

The dedicated trailers will make an estimated 70,000 deliveries per year, hauling a range of specialty items, including fresh meat and seafood, fruits and vegetables, linens and laundry and heavy equipment to the more than 125 sites across Australia where ESS provides food and support services to remote workers.

In 2002, ESS parent company Compass Group Australia selected Toll as its preferred logistics provider for Western Australia, a key market for ESS. The success of this agreement saw the companies expand Toll’s involvement across its network of remote sites in Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory in 2014.

Toll also provides transport and logistics support for Compass Group’s other brands, which operate across the Business & Industry, Education, Healthcare & Aged Care and Sports & Leisure sectors. In all, Toll is responsible for transporting more than 32,000 tonnes across 4.2 million kilometres annually to the locations Compass Group serves, which range from remote mining sites to corporate headquarters and universities to cultural venues and hospitals. Compass Group provides more than 65 million meals per year to its Australian locations.

“Our relationship with Toll has grown exponentially over the last decade and it’s fantastic to see our very own ESS and Toll co-branded trailers delivering goods exclusively to our sites. This will extend our ability to provide the freshest food possible to our clients, their employees and customers while maintaining the highest safety standards and maximising the economies of scale made possible by a fully integrated logistics model,” said Chai Alexiou, Executive Director – Supply Chain, Compass Group.

To better serve ESS and its clients, Toll has upgraded its Karratha, Broome, Port Hedland, Perth and Brisbane depots. This investment has resulted in increased jobs to the regional centres and improvements to supply chain efficiencies. There have also been improvements to HACCAP (hazard analysis and critical control points) compliance, cold chain management and DIFOT (delivery in full on time) performance.

Toll has also invested $11 million into equipment for this work, including new prime movers and pantechnicon and refrigerated trailers. This has resulted in greater reliability maintaining temperatures, more effective unloading and specialist trailers for delivering to smaller sites.

“ESS is an important Toll customer and the investment we made in our sites is part of a long term commitment to improve business efficiency,” said Toll Express General Manager Larry O’Regan.

“Toll works with more than 190 different suppliers daily on a JIT (just in time) basis to ensure food and equipment are delivered to ESS sites in a timely manner.

“By working directly with ESS at our upgraded depots, we have been able to average a 99 per cent DIFOT for our deliveries.”

As part of the expanded relationship, Toll has also invested in improved technology and funded the installation of Toll Online track and trace capabilities, MDTs (mobile data terminals), ILFT (item level freight tracking) and training. The benefits are complete visibility of the supply chain from sender to receiver, live capture of freight location, live PODs (proof of delivery documentation), barcode labelling and tracking the freight at item level.

To date, Toll has 86 per cent of Compass suppliers using Toll Online and 46 per cent of sites for reverse logistics. By mid-2015, the goal is to have 80 per cent of the transactions paperless.

A deep commitment to health, safety and the environment is at the core of both organisations. Toll and ESS have implemented a recycling product program that supports the companies’ shared commitment to the environment. The program results in more than 138 pallets per month of cardboard, plastics, oil and glass being returned and properly recycled from Western Australia sites, and a similar program is also being rolled out in Queensland.

Embedded in the Toll values is the belief that all injuries are preventable and that everyone has the right to go home safely. This belief forms the framework to the way Toll does business and supports servicing the Compass business with the shared targets of zero LTIFR (lost time injury frequency rate) and zero MTIFR (medically treated injury frequency rate). Toll’s safety commitment is well aligned with ESS and Compass Group’s high safety standards, which demand Safety First In Everything We Do.

About Toll Group

Toll Group is the Asia Pacific region’s leading provider of transport and logistics, employing approximately 40,000 people across some 1,200 locations in more than 50 countries. Toll’s specialist logistics capabilities incorporate a range of sectors including defence & government, industrial, manufacturing, mining & resources, retail and automotive www.tollgroup.com

About ESS Support Services

ESS Support Services is Compass Group’s dedicated sector brand for defence, offshore and remote. Compass Group is a world-leading food and support services company operating in 50 countries, employing more than 500,000 people and serving over 4 billion meals every year. In the year to 30 September 2014, the company generated annual revenue of £17.1 billion ($29AUD billion.)